


Cloaks and Vows (In Rememberance)

by Oblivion_Wanderer



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, been a year since we lost our Hunter Vanguard ;;, brief appreance by nelan's Ghost, even thou it's been like a year, sads, spoilers for forsaken
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-11 14:50:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20547950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oblivion_Wanderer/pseuds/Oblivion_Wanderer
Summary: She still remembers when Cayde told her that taking up a fallen Hunter's cloak was a vow.She remembers... so she will carry his memory too, just like she did back then for another.





	Cloaks and Vows (In Rememberance)

**Author's Note:**

> This was just a thing I've had laying around for a while and since it has been about one year since the release of Forsaken, and since the death of Cayde-6, so now's a good time to finish and post it.
> 
> Rest in peace, Cayde. My Hunter had a damn good Vanguard to look up to.

Nelan stands alone on the balcony, leaning on the railing and overlooking the City bellow. She feels the wind on her face, chilled with the turning of the seasons, but she doesn’t care. Her Ghost, Ivo, has tried talking with her, but knows to let her have her space. He stays close, but while Nelan appreciates what he’s trying to do, sorrow still weighs heavy on her.

She’s still wearing Quinn’s cloak. It’s still nestled around her shoulders as if it’s her own, though she knows it’s not. Yet she didn’t remove it. She wanted to hold onto it a bit longer; the last thing holding her to the memory of Quinn.

She had taken it up, finished the mission, for him… but that was never going to bring Quinn back. There was no coming back for him.

The one of first friends she ever had in this new life is dead and gone.

Suddenly there’s a tap on her shoulder. Too muddled with grief, she doesn’t react much, but she slowly turns to see who is there wanting her attention.

She turns to see Cayde-6.

“Hey, Hunter.” He says, nonchalant.

Nelan looks up at him, holds his gaze for a minute, and eventually turns away again. She forces out a muttered, “Hey.”

She wonders what Cayde wants with her now; she just kind of wants to be alone. She thinks if she stays quiet he’ll go, but instead she catches him moving to stand next to her.

“Yes, Cayde?” She asks.

“Sundance said a certain Ghost let on you were up here brooding and looking miserable.” He says. Ivo told Sundance; of course. “Figured you could use some company.”

“I’m not good company at the moment, I’m afraid.”

“I read the report on what happened out on Venus; about Quinn. I remember asking him to show you around the Tower the day you got here… he was eager to see a new face in the Hunter ranks. He said there was a spark about you.”

Nelan shook her head. “I’m no “spark”; I couldn’t save him.”

“From what I read, it seems he was dead way before you found him. You didn’t know.” When she didn’t respond, Cayde continued. “I know it must be hard, losing your friend like that. You may not believe it, but I can relate. Do you know about the Hunter Vanguard before me?”

“No, but… I think his name was Andal?”

“Mmhm; Andal Brask. He was a… a close friend of mine before I became Vanguard. Long story short, we made a bet, Andal got killed by a Fallen named Taniks, and I took his job since I lost the bet. I was with Andal when he died...”

Nelan looked over to him. She didn’t know much about Andal, but the point was Cayde had lost a friend, just as she had. He knew exactly how she felt.

“I… I’m sorry.” Nelan says, sincere.

Cayde looked lost in thought, as if remembering the events he had just told her, but then met her eyes. “Tankis will get what he deserves one of these days, but, ah, lets not dwell on that. I wanted you to know that I understand how you feel.”

Somehow, knowing that brings fresh tears to her eyes. She rubs her eyes and sniffles, trying to regain composure.

Suddenly, the Hunter feels a hand upon her head, ruffling her hair.

“Wh-”

“It’s okay. You have every right to grieve and be angry. Just don’t direct any of that anger at yourself, yeah? I spent too much of my time doing that after Andal died and I got tied to Vanguard duty. Doing that to ourselves won’t bring our friends we’ve lost back.”

Cayde stopped messing up her head and she gave a nod. “I’ll try.”

“There’s something else I wanted to tell you.” Cayde continued. “I see you’ve got his cloak on your shoulders there.”

“Oh.” She touched at the fur on the collar of the cloak. “Yes, it is. I probably shouldn’t have but-”

“No, no; it’s fine. You’re not the first Hunter who’s taken up the cloak of another.” He explains. “I did the same thing when Andal was killed. The cloak I wear was originally his. You see, there’s this little unspoken tradition among Hunters. When one of our own dies, sometimes, another Hunter will take up their cloak.”

“Why is that?”

“To remember them; to keep their memory alive. Nelan, if you learn nothing else, learn this: when a Hunter takes up the cloak of a dead comrade, it is a vow.”

It was a vow of memory.

She understood that now.

“I’m sure Quinn would be proud you completed his mission and made his cloak your own. So, do me a favor and promise me you’ll keep his memory? Don’t forget Quinn and everything he did.”

“Yes… I promise, Cayde.”

Tears clouded her eyes, and Cayde seemed to noticed, as he gestured for her to come closer. Nelan closed the gap between them as Cayde swept her up in a hug and she clung to him, the tears now streaming down her face.

“That’s it, let it out.” Cayde hushed her. “We just gotta keep moving forward, for our friends.”

Nelan knew his words were true. After all, the cloak around her shoulders now signified that; the vow she had taken the moment she took Quinn’s cloak from his body and put it on.

And then, there was the feeling of gratitude that swelled up in her chest. She was grateful for Cayde’s words, and that he had come up to talk to her. Though she hadn’t wanted him around at first, maybe this is what she really needed. She had been reluctant to speak, but talking with Cayde had helped.

She knew most said that Cayde was just a joker and too carefree, but that was not the case.

Still sniffling, Nelan pulled back, letting her arms drop down to her side. She looked up at Cayde and managed to put on a smile.

“Thank you, Cayde.”

Cayde seemed pleased to see her expression. “That’s the spirit. I do care about you guys, you know; you and the other Hunters. We gotta look after each other.”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“Hey, I gotta get back to boring Vanguard work, but why don’t you head over to the Tower gardens? Guardians keep lots there and I know Quinn had one. There’s also a Warlock over there he was friends with who’s been looking pretty down since you came back. His name is Valis; Sunsinger. I think he could use some cheering up.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

She left the balcony to find the Warlock in question; her heart feeling just a bit lighter.

She couldn’t ask for a better Vanguard and mentor.

* * *

Years later she finds herself sitting on her knees; one hand over her face in grief as she cries.

* * *

_Her tears burn on her face like fire._

_Her Golden Gun materializes in a burst of light, her body lit with flame. Nelan aims it in a flash and doesn’t hesitate to pull the trigger, but the door was already closing. By the time she even fires, the door is closed and they are gone; the bullets impacting onto the metal and dying in flames, leaving scorch marks behind._

_Drained, the flames go out and lift from her body like embers. She scowls at the door but then she remembers._

_Her Graviton Lance clatters to the floor as she rushes forward._

“_No, no, no- Cayde!”_

_Nelan falls to her knees beside the Exo, and it’s only then she takes in the extent of the damage. He’s battered- one side of his face is smashed- and when she sees the hole blown into his chest, Nelan feels sick. She’d seen the hand canon in Uldren’s hand as he fled with the Barons; the Ace of Spades. Cayde had been shot with his own hand canon. Fatally by the looks of it. _

_Ivo had already confirmed Sundance was dead, so without her..._

_Nelan pries off her helmet and casts it aside, the placing a hand gently on Cayde’s arm. _

“_Cayde...” She whispers, her voice cracking. This couldn’t be happening._

_He seemed to be alerted to her presence, and though he struggled, he shifted his gaze to her and spoke, “How… How’s my hair…?”_

_Typical Cayde. She would have snickered, or give an exasperated sigh, but her own voice was caught in her throat. She was relieved to hear him speak, though his voice was badly distorted, but she’s too distraught to give a proper response._

“_Heh… Speechless.” He manages. She can tell it’s taking an effort to even speak. “Typical.”_

_Finally, Nelan becomes unfrozen. Her eyes flicker over Cayde- from the wound in his chest and to his wrecked face- and then holds out her hand into the air. “I-Ivo, can you…?”_

_Her Ghost materialized and he hovered over Cayde, looking him over but saying nothing. She had a feeling of what Ivo was going to say, but maybe, even if it was a foolish hope, that maybe-_

“_There’s nothing I can...” Ivo looked to Nelan as he trailed off, and that confirmed what Nelan feared. “I’m… sorry.”_

_New tears came to her eyes as Ivo spoke those words. She looked at her Ghost in disbelief. There was truly nothing she could do…_

“_Hey...”_

_Nelan turned her attention back to Cayde when she heard his voice again. She met his gaze, but she could see his eyes flickering._

“_Kid, this… this ain’t on you.” He said._

“_I should have been here.” Nelan replies, not bothering to hide how she’s breaking. It’s Venus all over again. It’s finding Quinn-7 dead._

“_No. No, it’s… okay. Don’t. This is what I get for… for playing nice.”_

_A fit of coughs overtook him, like he was struggling to breathe. Perhaps he was; there was a gaping hole in his chest where he’d been shot._

_Tears still rolling down her cheeks, Nelan takes Cayde’s hand in one of hers, and rests her other hand back on his arm. She recognizes there’s no more she can do now, that this was really happening. She remembers the tale Cayde told her long ago about Andal. She remembers regretting how she wasn’t there for Quinn, even if she had been unable to do anything. Quinn had died alone, but this time she would do what she couldn’t do for him then. She would do what Cayde did for Andal._

**‘** _**Just stay with him.’** She tells herself. **‘He won’t have to die alone.’**_

_Somehow, in a shaky voice, as if she’s still trying to convince herself otherwise, she finds herself saying, “Shh. Save your strength. Stay with me, Cayde.”_

“_Nah. End of...the line. But thanks.” His hand weakly squeezes hers. “You’re... a good Hunter... Nelan.”_

“_Cayde-”_

“_And you tell Zavala and Ikora…” He paused, ether trying to find the words or just trying to speak in general. “the Vangaurd… was the best bet… I ever… lost.”_

_And with that, he fell silent and the lights in his eyes went dark. The hand in hers went slack._

_She stares at his still form, and something in her breaks, in a way that she hadn’t felt since she almost lost Ivo. _

_Nelan chokes on a sob as the tears flow freely..._

_And her sorrow echoed off the walls in an anguished cry._

* * *

An ace of spades found its place on her right glove.

A stripe similar to the one on Cayde’s cloak found its place on one side of her worn cloak. She didn’t have the heart to take Cayde’s.

A familiar hand canon eventually was repaired and resided in her possession.

She carried the mementos with her in remembrance.

She would carry the memory of Cayde with her for the rest of her days; for the one who taught her how to be a Hunter.

She would never forget.


End file.
